Katie O'Dell is the Reading Promotions Coordinator at Multnomah County Library in Portland, Oregon where she manages author and illustrator visits, the summer reading program for over 42,000 youths, and the system-wide book discussion groups. She is an active member of the American Library Association and has served on the Newbery and Caldecott Award committees as well as the Notable Children's Book Committee.

O'Dell is the author of Library Services and Materials for Teen Girls (Greenwood Press, 2002) and spends her professional and personal time talking about books with people of all ages.